


Coffee Confessional

by whisperedwords



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Lydia tells Parrish everything, and they maybe might go on a coffee date. maybe, implied romantic feelings, post-4x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 05:16:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2257206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whisperedwords/pseuds/whisperedwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sorry, officer, I—” The rest of her sentence dies in her throat as she recognizes the officer who pulled her over—or, rather, the deputy.</p><p>“Lydia?” Parrish asks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee Confessional

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i'm just really feeling the whole "Lydia Tells Parrish Everything" idea that teen wolf seems to be going with and THIS is what came about from it. this wasn't beta'd, so all mistakes are my own.

It all happens in a flash.

One moment, she’s singing along to the song on the radio, driving home in the rain, and the next, she’s sobbing and trying to focus on pulling to the side of the road. She barely stops the heaving sobs long enough to pull off before they start up again, wracking her whole body as she drapes herself over the steering wheel. The memories in this car flood her vision as she gasps for air. Mostly, they’re of Allison. Of their prom discussions, and whether their boyfriends would ever get along—probably not was the final answer on that one. (One died and one ran off. They’d never get the chance to find out.)

Some of them are Aiden, though. Lydia clearly remembers kissing him in the passenger seat, straddling his hips and kissing him senseless as his hands grabbed at every bare inch of skin he could get at. She remembers his hands resting on top of hers on the clutch, his warm fingers curling around her own. The ghosting feel of his touch brings goosebumps to her skin, and she lets out another choked sob as she remembers she won’t feel those hands again. She couldn’t save him. She couldn’t save Allison, either, and now she’s left sitting alone in her car, shaking profusely and feeling more lonely than ever.

She’s so consumed in her thoughts that she doesn’t notice the flashing lights that pull up behind her, and almost screams when there’s a tap at her window. It brings her straight out of her trance, and she whips her head to the side to see who’s there. A police officer, it looks like. The raindrops beading on her window distort the view, and she rolls it down for easier access.

“Sorry, officer, I—” The rest of her sentence dies in her throat as she recognizes the officer who pulled her over—or, rather, the deputy.

“Lydia?” Parrish asks, voice tinged with concern. “Are you—”

“I’m fine, Deputy, thank you,” She says, cutting him off and swiping at her eyes. “Just give me a ticket or something, it’s fine.”

“Lydia.” He says again, and she doesn’t know _why_ the tears are building up again, but it takes all of her control not to start weeping again. “I’m not gonna give you a ticket. You weren’t doing anything wrong. I just noticed the car on the side of the road, and—” He stops and gives her a once-over. “Do you need a ride?”

“I—I’m fine,” Lydia manages, and then breaks down, wilting against the car seat as she starts sobbing again. Parrish recoils slightly, and then reaches over and rests a hand on her shoulder.

“Do you need to talk?” He asks after a moment, and Lydia gulps down another sob.

“I…think so.” She manages. Then, after a moment—“I’m sorry, nevermind. You’ve got things to do, you’ve got _enough_ on your plate as it is. I’ll manage.” The tears seem to have stopped, for the moment, and she looks at him, plastering a smile on her face. “Thank you, though.” He eyes her suspiciously.

“I was just headed back to the station to clock out. Here. Let me at least drive you back. It doesn’t look like the rain is gonna stop any time soon.” It’s then that Lydia realizes that he’s been standing in the rain talking to her.

“I—okay.” She concedes, taking the key out of the ignition and taking a deep, steadying breath. Parrish opens the door for her, and she slips out of the front seat. They scamper back to the police car—which was further back than expected—and Lydia finds herself giggling as she and the deputy try to dodge the rain that’s pouring from the sky. They reach the police car breathlessly, and the smile on his face is so bright that she has to blink a few times.

“Sorry I made you stand around in the rain,” Lydia says quietly, and the smile on Parrish’s face softens into one that could be mistaken for affectionate. She looks down quickly, a blush prickling at the back of her neck.

“It’s not a big deal. I needed a shower, anyway.” He replies easily, and then starts the car. “You look...”

“Wet? Yeah, rain does that.” Lydia finishes, laughing a little bit.

“I was gonna say…you know what? Nevermind.” He responds, mostly to himself. Lydia raises an eyebrow at him. “Hey, you know what might be good right now? Coffee. I don’t know about you, but I’m _freezing_. And in the mood for something that’ll keep me awake for a few more hours.” He turns his attention back to the road.

“Sure.” Lydia finds herself saying. Which, _what_? She’s got schoolwork to do, and things to worry about, like what the _hell_ Meredith meant by “it’s not over yet”—and yet, here she is, riding alongside a police officer who’s going to buy her coffee. “As long as you cover for me.”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Parrish answers. “Here we go. Not too far away from the station, so you should be home at a reasonable hour.” They pull into a tiny little coffee house parking lot. “I found this place when I first moved here. The coffee isn’t _bitter_ like Starbucks, but it’s got the same richness, and it’s at least two dollars cheaper.” He gets out of the car and runs around to the passenger side as Lydia gets out, where he holds his jacket over her while they speed-walk to the entrance. The rain has slowed a little, but she doesn’t say anything. It’s sweet, what he’s doing. She tries to block the thoughts that follow.

When they get inside, Lydia lets out a little gasp of appreciation. The place is small and warm, a couple tables crowded to one side. The front of the place has a small cash register and a list of their specialty coffees. Parrish strides up to the counter and knocks on it twice before turning back to her.

“I’m here a lot—”

“Jordan!” A middle-aged woman walks out from the back and reaches over the register to give him a hug. “What brings you here so late?”

“Laurel.” He replies warmly as they part. “Just getting some coffee with a friend.” He gestures to Lydia, who waves a little and steps closer to where they’re standing.

“Ah. I’ll get you two some of the late night blend! We just got it the other day and I’ve been waiting for the night crowd to start heading over here.” She turns around and starts fiddling with the coffee machines. “It’s on the house!” She adds, raising her voice as the coffee grinder starts up. Lydia takes advantage of the noise and moves closer.

“Thank you.” She says, resting a hand on Parrish’s arm. He nods in reply. She doesn’t remove her hand.

Their coffees are done quicker than Lydia is used to—though, to be fair, there are a lot less people here than at Starbucks. Laurel sets them down on the counter and gives Parrish a big smile before heading back—presumably into the kitchen.

“Alright, we’re all set. Let’s go.” Parrish says, and turns towards the door.

“Wait!” Lydia exclaims suddenly, the hand on the deputy’s arm tightening. He looks back at her, a little startled. “Can we…” She gestures to the empty tables. “I don’t want my parents to see me like this and freak out.”

“Of course.” He waits for her to sit down before sliding into the seat across from her. Lydia takes a sip of her coffee.

“Oh my god.” She says, mouth agape, and he grins. “This is the best coffee I’ve ever had. Ever.”

“Right? You’ll never be the same.” He sips at his own, the little smile on his face growing bigger as he watches her silent reactions. They sit in comfortable silence for a little while, drinking coffee and avoiding the other’s gaze, until Parrish sets his drink down. “Listen. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. But…what were you doing tonight?” He’s looking intently at her. She takes another sip of coffee and then closes her eyes.

“I was driving back from my family’s lake house.” She answers, knowing he wants more than that but testing the waters.

“This late?” Lydia raises an eyebrow at him. “Okay, okay. Well, did anything happen up there? Are you okay?”

This is the part she was worried about. She hasn’t talked to anyone about Allison in a while—not since the night she sat in the Sheriff’s station with Scott and Isaac, who were quieter than she’d ever seen either of them _ever_. It’s time to _really_ talk to someone. “I was just…reminded. Of Allison and Aiden.” She feels like she’s choking on the names, but as soon as they spill in front of Parrish, her throat stops constricting. "Did anyone ever tell you the whole story?” He shakes his head. “I…well, Allison, she was my best friend. Her father, Chris, is a hunter. And she is—was—she was one too. And they allied themselves with Scott and his pack. So when the nogitsunes came, we all fought together.” Parrish flinches slightly at the word, remembering the gash on his stomach that had _burned_ like nothing else in his life. He listens as Lydia describes everything—the Darach, the sacrifice Scott and Allison and Stiles all made to protect their parents and their town, the way Allison sacrificed everything for her pack. Lydia is surprised that she makes it through the recount without crying. After she finishes talking, she moves her coffee over and rests her head in her arms on the table. With a deep breath, she collects her thoughts and looks back up at Parrish, who’s still gazing at her.

“How are you still sane?” He manages. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m not so sure I am.” She responds, looking down at her abandoned coffee. “Lately, it’s just been so…” She trails off. Parrish rests a hand on top of hers, again, and she looks back up at him.

“Hey. Thank you for telling me.” He squeezes her hands lightly, and she feels that blush creeping up into her cheeks. “If you ever want to tell me more…or just talk at all…” He takes out a pen and his ticket-pad and scribbles down his number. “Call me. Or text me. Or whatever. Just don’t be afraid to reach out.” She takes the paper and tucks it into her purse.

“Thanks.” Her voice is soft.

“Any time.” His gaze flickers up for a moment, and an expression of horror crosses his face. “Oh my god. It’s almost midnight. I need to get you home—” Lydia chuckles softly, and he gets pink in the face. “You know what I mean. C’mon. I think the rain has stopped.” Parrish shouts a ‘thank you’ to Laurel and then heads outside, where Lydia is waiting by the car. She cocks her head to the side.

“Ready to go?” She asks. He presses the unlock button on his keyfob as an answer.

The car ride back to Lydia’s house is pretty quiet. He doesn’t ask any questions and she doesn’t try and make small talk. She only opens her mouth when they arrive at her street, and she guides him to where her house is.

“Do you need me to walk to the door with you and explain to your parents?” He asks. _God_ , she thinks, _what a gentleman_.

“I think I’ll be fine.” She replies. She gets out of the car and starts walking towards the door when she hears the driver’s door shut.

“Here, take this.” Parrish says, practically running up her driveway. He hands her his jacket. “So they don’t freak out.” Lydia takes it, wrapping it around her shoulders and smiling at him thankfully before heading up her front steps. “See you around?” He calls from the bottom of her driveway. She turns around and tilts her head, pretending to be thoughtful about it.

“I don’t know. I’ll call you.” She says finally. His grin is bright even in the shadowy darkness of the trees in her front yard, and she walks into her house feeling lighter than she has in a while.


End file.
